Floatable concrete pier.



NITED STATES Patented February 14, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL HADLOOK, OF PORT HADLOCK, AND FRANCIS E. BROWN, OF PORT TOWNSEND,WASHINGTON.

FLOATABLE CONCRETE" PIER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 782,557, dated February14, 1905.

Application filed. May 26, 1904. Serial No. 209,828-

T0 at whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, SAMUEL HADLOCK, of Port Hadlock, and FRANCIS E.BROWN, of Port Townsend, in the county of Jefferson and State ofWashington,citizens of the United States, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Floatable Concrete Piers, of which the following is aspecification.

Our invention relates to what we term a floating or floatable concretepier.

It consists in the formation of a hollow structure of concrete which isadapted to be "floated to position and in the combination of any numberof such structures, which may be permanently fixed to form a wharf,pier, caisson, or other desired permanent structure.

The invention also comprises details of construction which will be morefully explained by reference to the accompanying drawings, in whichFigure 1 is a transverse section through the upper and lower structures.Fig. 2 is a plan view of the upper one. Fig. 3 is a plan view of thelower one. Fig. 4 shows corner connection. Fig. 5 is a sectional viewshowing the curb around a wharf with scupper-holes for drain-water.

The object of our invention is to provide a hollow structure'of concretewith suitable chambers, which structure may be built on ways and afterbeing built can be launched and floated to any point where it istotenses. If used for a wharf or equivalent structure, it may be sunk uponor into the material forming the bottom of the water, and any number ofthese independent structures may be alined to form any desired wharf orstructure, said caissons or boxes being afterward 'filled so as tobecome permanent.

The structures may be made in one or two superposed sections, and suchstructures may also be completed, anchored, and kept afloat to serve asboat-landings and for similar pure sunk into place.

A is an upper and B a lower structure. These structures are built ofconcrete and may be built of any suitable or desired shape or size tosuit the purposes for which they are to be employed, such as previouslymentioned.

The bottom of the structure may be a flat floor. It may be inclined orotherwise shaped to suit the conformation of the surface upon which itis to rest if said surface be hard. If it is to rest upon a softsurface, the surface itself can be excavated or prepared to receive thepier when it reaches the point for use.

The sections B either have the chambers extending entirely to thebottom, or there may be a flat floor and the inclosed chambers mayextend tothe bottom at the front, and the bottoms of said chambers maybe inclined upwardly toward the rear and supported upon piers orpillars, as at 2, from the floor below. The chambers are subdivided intocompartments 2, so that by loading these compartments the sections maybe made to float in a substantially upright position and can thus betowed to the point where they are to be deposited, andwhen this positionis reached the sections may be sunk to the bed. A series of pipes, as 3,connect with the interior of the chambers, and water may be admitted tofill 1 the chambers and allow the sections to sink when placed. We havealso shown pipes, as at 4, extending through the sections at suitablepoints, and these pipes are adapted to receive any fluid under pressure,which being forcibly impelled against the bottom when the latter is softwill serve to excavate the bot tom and if itis irregular tolevel itsufliciently for the proper support of the sections when The partitionswhich divide the sections serve to give it strength, and steel girdersmay be placed across the top to carry" the weight of the floor orsuperstructure or any weight which may be placed thereon. These sectionswill be made of such length, width, and depth as will suit theconditions under which they are to be'used. Thus if a considerable depthof water in front of the wharf is desirable at low tide these sections Bwill be deep enough to appear above the water at low tide when they areset in position, and

the sections A can then be floated into position above the sections B athigh tide, and when placed theseam between the two can be made tightwith concrete, so as to prevent the sand from washing out after thewharf is completed. The method of constructing the wharf with thesesections will then be as follows: One of the piers or sections isfloated to the point where it is to be placed, then sunk into positionand properly leveled. The next section is then brought into line withthe first section and so placed as to make a straight front. Between theends of these sections are vertical slots or channels 5 of suflicientsize and number, and these are alined, so that they form a channel, halfof which is in each section. This opening is filled with concrete afterthe sections are sunk into position, thus uniting the two sections intoa single structure and at the same time forming a tight joint, whichwill prevent any filling placed interiorto the pier from washing out.This process of adding sections will be continued until the desiredlength or frontage of the wharf is attained. At the ends and if thewharf is to run at right angles with the front section corner-sections6are employed. These differ from the sections used for the front inhaving the slots or channels 5 upon the side adjacent to the sectionsalready laid and a slot upon the inner side at right angles with saidfront section, so that sections may be added in line at right angleswith the front section and continue to the shore, or if the wharf is tobe constructed entirely away from the shore the sections will be unitedto form a suitable rectangle by completing it as here described. Thecavities or chambers in the sections and also the space inclosed withinthe entire structure may then be filled with sand, gravel, or othermaterial by means of a pumping-dredge or other appliance until thefilling is substantially level with the top of the sections.

If the rise and fall of the tide does not eX ceed siX or eight feet andnot more than twenty-six feet of water is required at the front of thewharf, the latter may be made in single sections, the top section A notbeing necessary; but where the water is deeper and the rise and fall ofthe tide is considerable it will be necessary to place the top section Aupon the bottom section B. The top of the wharf may then have a floorlaid upon it of any suitable material. In order to complete the wharf inaccordance with our invention, it is preferable to lay the floor ofconcrete sufficiently heavy and with the central portion slightlyraised, so that water falling upon the wharf would drain outwardly.

Around the edge of the wharf a curb may be formed,rising to anysuitableor desired height,

above the wharf-surface and having scupperholes made through it atintervals to allow any rain-water deposited upon the wharf to run off.

It will be manifest that hollow structures formed of concrete in thismanner may be employed as caissons or gates for dry gravingdocks or forfloating boat-landings and the like, such structures being provided withthe usual pumping apparatus and means for filling and emptying them asrequired, and the tops or floors may be made of wood or other suitablematerial, if preferred.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

l. A floatable pier made of concrete, with a closed bottom and open top,adapted to be floated upon the water and having interior chamberssubstantially as described.

2. A pier composed of a plurality of hollow water-tightconcrete'sections having open tops and closed bottoms, and havingseparated interior chambers, said chambers being so disposed as to beloaded to balance said structures while floating.

3. A pier composed'of concrete having hollow water-tight interiorchambers, with open tops and closed bottoms, passages opening into saidchambers whereby water may be admitted to balance or sink the structure,and pipes extending through the bottom to conduct fluid under pressure.

4:. A pier comprising a hollow floatable structure of concrete havinginterior watertight chambers, with closed bottoms, pipes or passagesextending from the top through the bottom and adapted to convey a fluidunder pressure whereby the surface below the pier may be excavated andleveled.

5. A pier comprising a series of hollow chambered water-tight concretefloatable sections, fluid-conducting pipes for sinking and leveling saidsections in position, and means for uniting successive sections to forma continuous structure.

6. A pier comprising hollow chambered concrete floatable sections,fluid-conducting pipes carried by the sections for excavating andleveling the surface upon which the pier is to rest, a means for unitingthe sections of which the pier is composed to form a continuousstructure, said means consisting of" channels formed in the abuttingends of the sections coincident with each other and a body of concretefilling said channels.

7. A pier composed of hollow floatable chambered concrete sections withmeans for sinking, leveling and placing said sections and uniting themsuccessively to form a continuous structure, a deck or surface formed ofconcrete and a curb or stringer of concrete extending above thefloor-surface and having water-outlets made therethrough.

8. A pier or wharf consisting of hollow chambered floatable sections ofconcrete, fluidconducting pipes for sinking, placing and leveling saidsectionsupon the bottom, means for uniting a plurality ofsaid sectionsto form a continuous structure extending to approximately the surface ofthe water at low tide andsupplementalfloatableconcretesectionsadaptfilling of solid material forthe chambers of ed to be placed upon the substructure at high thestructure and the space inclosed thereby. tide; In testimony whereof Wehave hereunto set 9. A pier or wharf comprising hollow chamour hands inpresence of .two subscribing Wit- I 5 5 bered goatable1 concreteSBICtiOiIS, with Igeans nesses. p

for sin ing an uniting a p ura ity o sai sectio'ns to form a continuousstructure and supplemental floatable sections adapted to fit upon Y thetop of the substructure and form tight Witnesses: IO joints therewith, adeck or covering for the A. H. ADAMs,

upper surface of said superstructure and a G. A. WATROUS.

